They had settled on the edge of a mountain ridge. The rocks were slippery and cold. There was a light snow shower blowing away at them. Fawkes found it all very beautiful. He had wanted to go someplace quiet with Nyx, but she had been maternally overprotective of their latest hatchling. She didn’t seem to be as interested in the scene as he was.
“It’s fucking cold. How did you convince me into doing this again?” Nyx asked, using her tail to sweep the snow out from the rocks beneath her.
“I’m Vulcan, if anyone should be cold, it’s me!” Fawkes said. “And I feel fine…”
“Do you?” Nyx asked, whipping some of the snow at him with her tail.
Fawkes flinched, losing his footing slightly and nearly falling off the edge “Hey!”
“You have wings!” Nyx said, gazing at his dark red webbing.
“Ha!” Fawkes retorted, perching on the edge of the cliff, staring down at the bare forests below. He couldn’t remember the last he’d experienced winter.
Nyx began to exhale fire onto the snow below them, heating up the area.
“You’ve become good at that.” Fawkes observed. Nyx’s species was from Terra, a Vorchan offshoot that had forbidden the older feral abilities of her Vorchan heritage.
“Forbidden magic my ass.” Nyx scoffed.
“There are other ways we can warm up!” Fawkes said suggestively, approaching in his own feral manner.
Nyx gave him a playful snicker, and readied herself for a dodge.
“I’d think after the days of no privacy you’d be all over me!” Fawkes said, feigning hurt.
Nyx gave him a compassionate nuzzle. “My poor Fawkes.” her eyes narrowed, “Alright…”
Fawkes caught the glint of her razor sharp tail. He deflected its attack. “Really, Nyx?”
“You yourself said it’s been days!” she cried, pouncing on him, restraining his limbs with hers. “Days of nothing for my tail to writhe in!”
“Noo.” he wailed, struggling to break free. She clamped down on his neck, making it difficult to thrash about. He went limp and submissive, scanning for an escape route before her tail managed to snake in. His own tail was making it difficult for her.
He found a particularly slippery area, and struggled over there, using his wings to invoke a slide. They began to fall. Nyx let go, beating herself up in the air.
Fawkes was finding it difficult to re-orient himself. He hit something and began to plummet faster, his world overwhelming pain.
Fawkes! Flames cried, aware of the sudden distress.
Darkness.
–
–
Fawkes! Fawkes Fawkes Fawkes! Wake up Fawkes! Flames cried. The biomechanoid starship was in a low orbit now, hitting the cave with every sensor beam at his disposal.
There was something in here with him, and it wasn’t Nyx.
What happened?
You fell. You’re in a cave. Are you alright?
Fawkes scanned the cave, his vision a blur. He tested his wings, one was very sore. How is Nyx?
She’s fine. She’s over the hole you fell through.
Fawkes listened. How far did I fall?
A thousand feet.
The pain from all the scrapes and bruises were more apparent now. He noticed the ground was blood-stained. He must have bled quite a bit. He shuddered at his mental image of himself.
Instinct took over, but Fawkes was too slow. Something clamped down on him, pinning him to the ground, it bit into his shoulder.
He beat it back with his good wing and began to run farther into the cave, forced to stop and confront the creature after a few paces.
He had never seen anything like it before. Its appearance took him aback. There seemed to be four glowing eyes. Its body was a chrome black, and it seemed to have several appendages. Where he’d expected wings there were razor sharp jointed talons.
“What are you!” Fawkes cried out, dodging its pounce.
His NI was perusing encyclopaedias for a match, telling him it was some sort of Cave Beast.
Flames! Kill it! Fawkes transmitted frantically.
The only area where I can get a solution is in line with the hole you fell through.
Then go there!
Fawkes was struck by an appendage. They were impossible to see in the dark. It dug into his scales, nearly pulling him in towards the creature.
I am there. As is Nyx. I risk hitting her.
Don’t! Fawkes replied in panic, knowing Flames might risk a shot.
I won’t! I would never! Flames replied reassuringly.
Get help. Get Darnell.
They left.
Well GET THEM.
You’ll lose augmentation if I jump out.
GO!
Fawkes’ world became darker as Flames’ sensory inputs disappeared from his neural vision. It was just him and that thing now. He decided to buy time by breathing fire at it. It drained his energy quickly, but it seemed to be working.
The creature’s shrieks outdid the sound of the flame as he forced it further and further back, hoping the heat would kill it. Finally he was out of breath, and the creature took the opportunity to lunge, trapping him once more. This time it was wringing his neck, suffocating him. He felt incisors trying to penetrate, and different appendages were already stabbing away at him, trying to cut into his thick hide.
It was only a matter of time…
The cave lit up once more: Another flamestrike.
It threw the creature off of him, giving him a chance to run for the hole he had fallen in from. He ran straight into her, knocking them both into the ground.
“Nyx!” he cried, instinct making him smother her some more, licking at her affectionately.
Nyx rolled until Fawkes was on his back, with her on top, giving her a good shot at the creature with another flameburst. The concussion blast as it exited her mouth was deafening. The creature disappeared in the fire.
“Amazing. You’re so amazing!” Fawkes said euphorically.
Nyx gave him a smug grin, then her ears perked, her countenance changed.
“What is it?”
“Cave-in.”
“What?” But now Fawkes felt it too – the rumbling.
Rocks began to fall down on them from the hole, one after another. They instinctively ran from the rocks, farther into the cave to where the creature had been shot. Fawkes expected it to grab him any moment. Nothing existed except for Nyx’s tail, which he followed blindly as they went down corridor after corridor.
What if there were more of these creatures? Nyx was probably out of energy as well. They didn’t really have the stamina for continuous fire barrages. The ancestral skill had been replaced with more technologically advanced weapons: Gauss rifles, exosuits…
He hoped Flames would return soon with Darnell.
He crashed into her as she suddenly stopped. He was in the perfect mounting position. But his wing: It ached as he tried to embrace her. He grimaced and collapsed onto his good wing, exhausted.
She was licking away at his wounds, “You cut yourself up pretty badly.”
It stung, he hissed, biting his tongue to fight the pain from the bigger gashes. And his wing, the poor wing, the webbing looked torn.
“There might be more of them.” he panted.
Nyx didn’t say anything, tending to his wounds, ears perked for danger. They stayed like that for several minutes. Eventually it was Nyx who was exhausted, and she lied down next to him.
They both listened now. Fawkes had very long ears, all Vulcans did. He could hear the steady drop of water, as well as an ambient hum from what must have been a stream nearby. No footsteps, though, none at all. The creatures weren’t moving, wherever they were.
He resorted to his ancestral skills: His thermal senses, his predatory vision. They didn’t reveal anything. He wasn’t sure if that was because there was nothing else here, or because he had forgotten how to use them. For so long he had been dependent on technology to assist him, augment him, and now he was left with nothing but his neural interface, which wasn’t too great a help without augmentation from Flames.
“Do you sense anything?” Fawkes whispered.
“Yes, nearby.” she whispered back, staring behind them.
Fawkes used his good wing to poke the back of his neck and disable the neural interface. He reached out with his senses again. This time he saw it too. He re-activated the neural interface. The signature disappeared.
“My interface is interfering with my ancestral senses.” Fawkes said.
“Then turn it off.”
“But how will I know if Flames returns?”
“Where did he go?” Nyx asked.
“To—“
Nyx put her wing over his snout. “The signature’s gone. It moved. I don’t know where it went.”
Her breathing began to quicken. Oh how it pained him to see her afraid again.
“We’ll be alright.” Fawkes said reassuringly. He tried using the neural interface as a sort of catalyst for his senses. It was slowly beginning to work. He was starting to see Nyx’s thermal aura, as well as his own. He continued programming the interface, acclimatizing it to these rarely used ancestral skills.
She shifted her position, looking in the opposite direction. “They’re waiting in ambush, both sides.”
“Then we’ll stay here.” Fawkes said.
“For how long? If the exit caved in how will help arrive?” Nyx asked.
Fawkes hadn’t thought about that. He fought his panic. “Flames will blast his way through then.”
“And crush us in the process.” she whimpered.
“Nyx…” he rubbed his face against her neck, trying to reassure her.
“What will we eat? Is there even air here? Maybe we’ll suffocate!”
“There’s air.” Fawkes said, inhaling. “And we’ll hear the creatures coming. We’re fine for now.”
“I’m hungry…” Nyx muttered.
“I caught us a leonite less than an hour ago!” Fawkes hissed.
“Not much of a leonite…” Nyx growled.
“You said it was fine!”
“I didn’t think we’d be trapped in a cave!”
Fawkes began to walk.
“Where are you going?!” Nyx asked.
“To find a way out.”
He could feel her head brushing up against his tail as he swayed it from side to side.
“Tell me if you move! I don’t want to be left in the dark alone!”
“Sorry.” Fawkes hadn’t thought about that. They were probably waiting for them to separate.
He froze as he heard scampering, moving again as the sound subsided.
“How many do you think there are?” Nyx asked.
“It doesn’t matter. I won’t let them get to you.” Fawkes said.
–
They had left on their adventure in the late afternoon. It had been hours now, and the darkness was making them more and more tired. Fawkes stopped when he noticed Nyx had started using his body for support.
He suddenly remembered why they had left on this adventure in the first place. But he was so tired. He collapsed against the cave, yelping as Nyx brushed up against his injured wing. She changed sides, then, snuggling under his good wing, her tail brushing against his face. “I watch this side, you watch that side.” It was a sound plan.
–
He woke up with his tongue hanging limply over her tail, his head resting on it comfortably. She felt the movement, and the tail began to move slightly, its razor edge forcing Fawkes to move his head clear. “We’re still alive?” His own tail felt limp. Nyx was resting her right paw and head on it.
“I think so.”
Fawkes self-consciously wiped the drool off her tail. He hoped he hadn’t gnawed at it in his sleep. They had never fallen asleep like this before… well except that one time, when they were experimenting – the thought invigorated Fawkes, and he started licking away at her tail, inadvertently shifting his position to his left wing. He cried out, it hurt more than it had before. He immediately got up, testing it. He could barely move it.
Nyx was staring at it now, gently touching it with her paws. “I think it’s infected.”
That was all he needed: An infected wing.
“We should keep going, then. I can hear a stream. We’ll go in that direction.” Fawkes said.
–
His wing was feeling better. The NI must have injected bemicytes into his bloodstream to ward off the infection. He was grateful to the small biomechanoid cells.
“You came in after me.” Fawkes said.
“Of course I did.” Nyx growled, surprised at the sound. They had been pretty quiet for the last hour or so.
“Why’d you come for me?” Fawkes asked.
“Is that a serious question?” Nyx asked.
“Maybe…” Fawkes said, hiding a grin.
“Well… the neural interface is pretty expensive. I figured I could salvage it off your body and make a decent profit!” Nyx exclaimed.
“Oh that’s dark, even for you.” Fawkes replied.
“You know why I came down!” Nyx said.
Fawkes pressed up against Nyx listlessly, affection in his eyes. “Tell me.” he cooed.
“Because…” she said softly, noticing they’d stopped. “We should keep moving.”
“The stream can wait. I don’t think they’re interested in us anymore.” Fawkes said.
“Let’s keep walking, and I’ll tell you why I came down. Even though you know why.”
Fawkes complied, walking alongside her slowly. “Why?”
“Because I—“
She cried out as something struck her. Fawkes tried to lunge for whatever it was but was engulfed himself. His world became a flurry of tendrils as he fought to free himself of the creatures grip. He could hear Nyx’s screams undulating from farther and farther away.
He roared in fury, firing a cloud of searing hot flame out at the creature and lunging as it recoiled, biting into the creature’s neck with all his might. Its blood tasted sour and cold. He bit until it stopped moving, then he sprinted after his lover.
He slipped on something, and started to fall/slide down an opening. This time he used his wings to control his descent, and landed somewhat softly.
The smell, this place reeked of death and decomposition. “Nyx!”
There was no response. Where was she? How would he get to her?
There was a green bioluminescence on the walls here. It made it easier to navigate, and made several openings apparent. All were full of creatures, curled up in their multiple limbs, sleeping.
He froze, scanning this cave. There was only one way that he knew was safe. He looked up above him at the hole he’d fallen from.
He poised himself, and readied his wings, already feeling the pain in his injured one. With a grimace, he pumped himself into the sky, examining the hole. It was too thin for his wings, so he would have to claw his way up. He grabbed the edge, hoisted himself through.
“Shit.” he lost his footing, falling right past the tail of one of the creatures and landing in the middle of several with a thump. They scattered and growled, staring at him. He immediately reached for altitude again, hovering over them. “Ha, you can’t fly!”
Something hit him in the face, it burned his eyes. He began to fall, instinctively firing a streak of flame ahead of him, clearing the area around him and evaporating the acidic material on his eyes.
Dazed, he shot himself back into the air, flying from wall to wall trying to find a way out. He felt like a leowing in a cup.
The creatures spat at him, he spat back with flame. He wouldn’t be able to stay airborne forever.
He roared as loud as he could; roared so loud the walls themselves seemed to quake. The creatures scattered as he continued roaring – roaring for his life, roaring for Nyx.
Suddenly a massive rock flew by him, nearly grazing him.
Fawkes!
The world below the newly formed rupture illuminated as Flames’ gaze pierced through.
Find Nyx! I don’t know where she is!
“Fawkes, is everything alright?” Darnell asked.
“Nyx is missing!” Fawkes cried on the neural channel.
Darnell landed amidst the creatures. There was a bright red flash as his koveran field assuaged the impact he made with the ground, incinerating the creatures that had gathered below them.
“We’ll find her.” Darnell said, his koveran rifle pointed at the creatures. They began to spit acid, flaring his shield. He returned fire. The sound was deafening in the cave. Fawkes’ had to order the NI to reduce the receptiveness of the cilia in his ears.
“Up there! That was where I fell from.” Fawkes said.
“Scanning.” Thanatos transmitted. “I sense the radar profile of a Vorchan. It’s not moving.”
“NO!” Fawkes yelled, lunging for the hole. He retracted his wings and used his momentum to slide up as far as he could. Then he clawed with all his might, clawing until his talons were filed down to the digit, bare and sore.
Thanatos guided him to her. She was in an open cave. The floor was wet. There were a lot of dead creatures here.
“Nyx.” he checked her entire body over, feeling the gashes, grateful there was no light here. “Nyx!” he repeated, pawing at her.
She wasn’t responding.
“This can’t be happening.” Fawkes muttered, licking her wounds. They tasted sour, like the creatures. Is this what death tasted like?
“Fawkes.” Thanatos transmitted. “I’m picking up more Nyx profiles. It confirms our suspicions.”
“What?”
There was a loud shriek. He wasn’t sure where it came from at first, but then realized Nyx’s mouth was open. Suddenly she lunged at him, there were no wings, only those razor sharp appendages. They clipped him to the ground. The Nyx-creature’s fatal bite was deflected by Fawkes’ horns. He knew her limits too well.
“They are Ethologes: A type of Cave Beast. They are capable of genetically mimicking anything they have sampled in the past few hours.”
Fawkes slammed the creature with his tail, knocking it against the wall. “How long does the mimicry last?”
“Forever – until they grow sterile again.”
“What?”
“The mutations make their gametes sterile over time, forcing them to take on a new form. It was why it was so difficult to classify them.”
“Where is Nyx?”
“They will be holding her in a sensitive location. At this point: She is vital for their survival.”
He felt the heat of fire closing on him, and lunged free at the last second, returning fire with his own flame.
“They can also mimic some of their donors’ abilities.” Thanatos added.
Fawkes incinerated the aggressing creature. “Can you see this sensitive area?”
“I doubt I will be able to. It will be deeper underground, deeper still than the chamber you had discovered.”
“Great.”
“But I can see a chute that leads farther into the cave. Darnell is examining it now. I will lead you to him.”
–
Fawkes was back in the chamber he had fallen into. They were looking down at the black hole before them.
“Let’s go.” Fawkes said, dropping down before Darnell could reply.
He had to close his eyes as he hit rock after rock. He finally stopped, wedged between several stalactites and bleeding. “That didn’t quite work out as I’d expected.” he transmitted.
There was no response in the neural band. He must be too far down. He was on his own again. He cursed his hotheadedness. They could have come up with a better plan.
He ignored his wounds and continued, feeling more and more lightheaded the farther down he went. Finally, he decided to inspect the bleeding, biting down on exposed gashes, hoping his saliva would help stop the bleeding. He didn’t have time for this; he didn’t have time to die; he had to get to Nyx.
–
He awoke between several stalactites, Nyx was staring at him.
“Fawkes.” she said.
“Nyx. Is it you?”
“Fawkes!” she repeated, pressing up against him.
“How did you get here?” he asked, infinitely relieved, rubbing his face against her neck as he always did. She pressed up against his.
“Fawkes…” she muttered, baring fangs.
Her jaws clamped down on his neck, cutting through one of his carotid arteries. He started to gag. The spume of blood seemed to the stun the Nyx-creature. It pulled back, coughing. Fawkes lunged at it, biting into her neck. She shrieked until she died. The blood was sour, he was so grateful.
He felt his own vision fading, his own world growing dark. He remembered what Nyx had told him once, when Martock’s men had tried to sever her wings. They had wanted to do both at the same time, because one wouldn’t kill her. One wouldn’t bleed her out. Was it the same with this wound? It felt horrible. Breathing was difficult. He needed water; he needed food; he needed Nyx.
Was it the same? It couldn’t be the same. He was dying. He wouldn’t survive this. “Flames!” he called on the neural band. “Flames! I’m dying! Help!”
It was silent, he tried to get up, feeling the splash in the pool of blood he had formed. He wasn’t going to wake up again. How could he be this unlucky; how could life be this unfair?
He fought the insidious lure of sleep, knowing it was Death calling him.
“Nyx…” Fawkes whimpered, visualizing her, wishing she was here with him. “Why did you come for me… why…”
“Well, the neural interface is—“
“That’s not why!” Fawkes growled.
She laughed, glaring at him. He felt the pain of Kahless once more, the texture of the pool of blood that had occasionally formed after their sessions.
“You were always just a toy, Fawkes. Day after day!”
“That’s not true. You love me!”
“Oh Fawkes…”
She nuzzled him, wrapped her massive black wings around him. He saw her raise her tail, ready it. She struck.
He awoke, the blood had dried. He gasped for breath, shuddering, trying to move, to live.
“Nyx…” he whimpered, dragging himself downwards. He felt sick, he wasn’t sure why. But he fought the urge to vomit, knowing it would dehydrate him further. Nothing but the path mattered now, the path which led to her.
“Fawkes…”
He could see her off in the distance, calling his name. She was waiting for him. He stumbled onwards, dropping from the hole. They caught him in their wings.
“Fawkes!”
“Fawkes?”
“Fawkes…”
“Oh Fawkes.”
They smothered him, caressed him, kissed him, licked him.
“I love you!”
“Love you.”
“Love!”
“I need you!”
“Need…”
“Why…” Fawkes muttered, barely able to function.
“Because. I love you. I need you!”
“I love you!”
“Need you!”
“Love!”
His reproductive instinct reinvigorated him, injecting him with the energy needed for the task they demanded of him. He used the energy wisely, tasting them, seducing them.
They all crooned as he passed Nyx after Nyx.
‘She wouldn’t be here.’ he thought. They would put here somewhere else, somewhere safe. Not here… unless they wanted to kill her… what would Nyx do? Would she mimic… what could he…
“Nyx…” he moaned, feeling one rubbing against him.
“Fawkes…” she whispered.
Another one, “Fawkes…”
“Nyx…” he heard.
Now he understood. He saw others, other Fawkeses.
They didn’t know, they didn’t know he was different. He licked and kissed and tasted his way through the crowd, avoiding the other Fawkes who seemed to glare at him with some envy, as the Nyx-creatures seemed to be more interested in him than the Fawkes-creatures.
He had to find her. Where would she be? He continued his thoughts where he left off. ‘If I were Nyx… and felt endangered. I would mimic. But how would I know which Fawkes was the real one? Would I even expect a real Fawkes?’
“SERPENT!” Fawkes cried out.
“Serpent!” the other Fawkes repeated.
“Serpent!” the Nyxes chorused.
They were watching him now. “Serpent!” they chanted.
“Shit…” he muttered, his cover may have just been blown.
He embraced one, “Nyx…” he whispered.
“Fawkes…” she replied.
This one was caressing his posterior with her tail. He deflected it automatically. They locked eyes, twining tails once more.
“Nyx…” Fawkes bit her gently, tasting the blood – it wasn’t sour. “Nyx!”
“Fawkes.” she said, beckoning for him to follow.
“Nyx…” he nodded.
“Fawkes…” she replied.
“Nyx.” he said.
The conversation led them all the way to an ascending corridor.
“Nyx!” he nipped at her tail.
“Fawkes!” she whipped him with it.
“Ow, Nyx!” he crooned, licking her.
“Fawkes!” she quickened her pace, hurrying up the corridor, away from the creatures.
“Nyx!” Fawkes followed, feeling Flames’ presence returning.
Fawkes!
Flames!
Fawkes, where were you?
Flames!
Fawkes?
Flames! Sorry… habit. Long story. Lead us out of here.
Darnell is a few minutes away at an extraction point.
“Follow me.” Fawkes said with a smile.
“Fawkes…”
“Nyx…”
She hadn’t said anything else yet.
“Wait…” Fawkes said.
“Fawkes…” she repeated, pressing him on his back with her forelegs.
“Oh no.”
“Fawkes!” she exclaimed, clamping down on his neck.
“No!” he whined, feeling her increase the pressure.
“Fawkes…” she growled through full incisors.
Fawkes thrashed about, desperately trying to break free. “No! Please.”
She stabbed him with her tail.
“HA!” Nyx exclaimed.
“Nyx?”
“I knew you would let your guard down if you lost all hope!” Nyx smiled.
“That is the most evil thing I’ve ever seen you do.” Fawkes said, kissing her. “So evil.”
He returned the favour, stabbing back with his own ‘tail’.
She arched her tail slightly, knowing how to balance pain and pleasure.
This isn’t exactly the best time… Flames commented.
Flames… shut up. Fawkes transmitted, moaning in ecstasy.
“Nyx…” Fawkes said between kisses, “We… should… NYX!”
“What?” Nyx asked.
“We should get going.”
“You just want an excuse to get away from the tail.” she said, arching it.
“You know I hate the tail…” Fawkes said, tears in his eyes, “Why do you always have to use the tail.”
“Because I love you!” Nyx cooed. “I need you! I chanted it when I thought they were going to kill me. I chanted what I should have said when you asked me! I love you Fawkes. I need you!”
“Oh Nyx…”
She grinned, “And besides,” she continued lustfully. “I find the act a little one-sided otherwise.”
“My crazy, precious Nyx…” Fawkes muttered.